Also, the Atlanta change means Phoenix International Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway — formerly the second and third races of the season, respectively — are now part of a West Coast tripleheader with Auto Club Speedway in Southern California. The order is Vegas, Phoenix and Fontana.

Daytona International Speedway will host the Daytona 500 on its expected date — Feb. 22 — but its summer night race will move to a Sunday night (July 5) instead of Saturday night.

Fans accustomed to planning their July 4 holiday around the race may have to plan an extra day or two of vacation to account for travel home.

Kentucky Speedway moves from late June to July 11, which bumps New Hampshire Motor Speedway one week later and eliminates the traditional July off-weekend in favor of one in June.

NASCAR added a third off-week in late August before the final two races of the regular season, which could give drivers and teams a much-needed breather before the grueling Chase begins. It also could give teams revving up for the title run some extra time to prepare.

In another minor move, Texas Motor Speedway's spring race returns to Saturday night after being scheduled for a Sunday this season to accommodate the Final Four in nearby Arlington. Kansas Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway will swap Chase spots by one week in October.

NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup will open at Chicagoland Speedway for the fifth consecutive year, on Sept. 20, and end at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 22.

Richmond International Raceway will again be the cutoff for the regular season, which ends Sept. 12.

By moving Atlanta to the second race of the season, NASCAR could be opening itself up to some cold-weather concerns such as the ones Rockingham Speedway used to face in the week after Daytona. But Bristol's move to April should mean warmer temperatures in the Tennessee mountains.

This season's races will be broadcast by FOX and NBC, which take over for TNT and ESPN as part of a 10-year, $8.2-billion deal.

The NBC Sports Network will carry some key races, including the Brickyard 400, the Chase cutoff race at Richmond and the Chase opener and the fall event at Talladega Superspeedway.

There were no major changes for the Nationwide Series (which will have a different sponsor next season) or the Camping World Truck Series. The two support series will share a doubleheader Saturday date at Atlanta on Feb. 28. The popular Eldora Speedway dirt race remains on the Truck schedule (July 22).